


Contracted

by JacTheRaven



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: (before the events of DA 2 in Kirkwall), AU, Flirting, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Implied toxic relationship, Mild Angst, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 16:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5877730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacTheRaven/pseuds/JacTheRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varric has been planning this expedition of the Deep Roads with his brother for a while now. And odds of success seem to improve with the arrival of a new face in Kirkwall, an assassin from Starkhaven who seems to have a lot to prove. Normally the deal is follow the contract and go home, but Katiya finds herself a little too intrigued with the promise of riches and the charming dwarf that wants to hire her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kirkwall was definitely not among Katiya’s favorite places to visit. It was pretty damn seedy, and a little too close to home. But when the Hand gave her a job, she couldn’t exactly say no.

At least she could find comfort in this being a solo operation. Those didn’t come up often, her boyfriend didn’t really allow it, so at least this time around she could enjoy the quiet of being on her own.

The jobs always came pretty easy. Find the target, take out the target, make it look like an accident. Or at the very least make it untraceable. By now it practically came as second nature to her.

Her plan came up after a few hours. Wandering around, making it obvious she was new to the city. An unassuming tourist trying to find her way around. It was at least partly true. She didn’t visit this place often.

It was in the market that she spotted him. Just making his way past the other people scattered around doing their shopping or finishing errands before being able to finally go home. She couldn’t just start tailing him though. She had to keep the poor fucker in her peripheral vision pretending to shop for the perfect souvenir to take home.

It wasn’t until the man turned a corner that she thanked the merchant holding pleasant conversation with her, promising to return to buy that gorgeous ring once she took care of some important business.

From that point on, her focus was unbreakable. Keeping a fair distance, she followed her target a few blocks, waiting for just the right moment. Eventually he stopped to have a chat with a woman. Judging by his body language he was into her.

Judging by her facial expressions, she was not.

All right, so the guy was an insufferable asshole from first impressions. Not like Katiya needed a reason to take him out, but this certainly helped. It was like she’d be doing the world a favor, right?

Maker’s breath, why did she always feel the need to justify a kill? It was stupid.

“Eiric!” She explained without warning, lunging in to give the target a sudden hug from behind. “I didn’t expect to see you in Kirwall! The fuck are you doin’ in a dump like this?!” She made so much commotion, acted so spontaneously, that it seemed the man didn’t even notice the subtle pin prick to his shoulder, a needle that up until then had been hiding between her fingers.

Quick, subtle, and all done in one fluid motion. Say what you will about her damn conscience, at least she was good at what she did.

It was easy to act surprised and confused when the target shoved her away, shouting at her. “Get off me? Who even are you?!” Clearly he hadn’t noticed the injection of poison. Yet.

Katiya stumbled back a little bit, looking a little wild eyed with confusion. “Oh. Oh, Maker!” She exclaimed, hands over her mouth feigning complete shock and embarrassment. “I’m so sorry! I thought you were someone else!”

It didn’t even seem to matter what she said, her target was angry. If that poison didn’t kick in soon Katiya was worried a brawl might break out. Shit. She really should have reconsidered her approach here. She feared the worst when he took a sharp step towards her.

“You know, one of these days your temper is going to get you killed.” A voice suddenly rang out from behind Katiya. She barely had time to turn her head to notice a dwarf take the spot next to her. Wait didn’t dwarves normally have beards?

“This crazy chick just jumped all over me!”

“Yeah, sorry about that. She’s looking for a friend of mine. To be fair you do look a lot like him from behind.” Katiya was trying her best not to look thoroughly confused. Who the hell was this guy and why was he covering for her? Some random kindly citizen of Kirkwall? Was that even likely in a place like this?

The man looked like he was going to retort, probably something about how Katiya shouldn’t have just jumped on her like that. But he stopped himself, suddenly not looking too well. Finally, the poison was kicking in. She needed to get out of there before any suspicion came her way.

“You really shouldn’t be wandering on your own out here.” The dwarf remarked, laying a hand on Katiya’s arm to guide her into walking away with him. “Especially since this is your first time in Kirkwall. Too easy to get lost. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Despite being confused, Katiya nodded and followed his lead, away from her target. It was damn lucky she had managed to get such an easy out. She’d be long gone before anyone figured out a murder had taken place. Then it was just a matter of laying low before getting the hell out of the city and reporting on her contract’s completion.

The two had walked for quite a while in silence, Katiya having no idea what to even say to this guy. Did he even know what she’d done? Was he aware of how he’d saved her ass? If he did, he was being very cool about the whole thing.

“So. You were sent here to kill that asshole, huh? Impressive work.” Well that answered that. “Nice technique. Though your exit could use some work. The name’s Varric, by the way. Varric Tethras.”

“You leadin’ me to the authorities, Varric?” Katiya retorted, already planning her escape in her mind. 

“More like the best bar in town.” Varric explained with a coy smile. Katiya felt her stomach twist a little at the thought of any kind of liquor Kirkwall would sell. “I’m impressed with your work. You made a spectacle of yourself and yet your technique was subtle. I doubt even that girl he was with will catch on that you poisoned him.”

“You caught on pretty easy.”

“Only because I was on my way over. I owed the guy money.” Varric made a motion to pat the small purse of gold hanging from his belt. “I was already focused on your direction so I saw it all. Anyone else would have only noticed you when you tackled him with that hug. And by then the job had already been done. It was impressive work.”

The observation made Katiya grin a little, feeling her ego swell just a tiny bit. Compliments were hard to come by, especially with her clan. Most of the time any success was brushed off, but failure..

Failure got picked at a lot.

“So you’re sayin’ you saved my ass because I saved you some coin?” She felt a little offended, if not grateful. Though she couldn’t help but think that she wouldn’t have even needed the rescue if the dwarf hadn’t stepped in while she was in the middle of her contract.

Varric chuckled, continuing to lead Katiya to the Hanged Man and opening the door for her upon arrival. “No, I don’t think you needed my help with an escape.” He assured her, sweeping his hand to gesture the woman into the bar first. “But with someone as skilled as yourself…mind if I offer up a promising proposal over drinks?”


	2. Chapter 2

The Hanged Man was…all right it was disgusting but not really as bad as Katiya had been expecting. A drink or two here wouldn’t be the worst thing she’d ever done. Here’s hoping they had good, hard liquor.

“Drinks, by the way, are on me” Varric announced, getting himself a seat and gesturing Katiya to do the same. “It’s the least I can do for someone who got me out of debt in the most permanent way.”

At first Katiya wasn’t sure whether she should accept the man’s generosity, or follow her instinct to run the hell away. She only just get this guy, how could she trust him not to trap her? Especially considering he just caught her murdering someone.

But there was something actually genuine about Varric. She shouldn’t trust him, she barely knew him. And yet for the life of her she couldn’t pick up on anything that would give her the indication he was trying to trap her. Plus her interest was definitely piqued with his indication of a job offer. Maybe it’d be fun to take up some kind of independent job away from the Crimson Hand.

Even if going behind their backs was a risky move.

“Yeah. All right, fine.” She eventually agreed, taking a seat near Varric and leaning back to relax herself a little. “And then you can tell me about that proposal you told me about.” Crossing her arms and her legs, she kept her gaze focused on Varric. Her expression was kept neutral, never looking away from the dwarf’s face.

With a quick hand gesture, Varric signaled the bartender for a couple of drinks before turning his attention back to Katiya. “So what do you know about the Deep Roads?”

The question caught her a little off guard. What kind of job was this leading up to? “I know enough. Deep underground. Darkspawn. Dangerous place. Not someplace a normal person would go.”

Did this guy expect her to go into the Deep Roads? For what purpose? Did he need someone killed? She guessed a place like that was the perfect spot to hide a boy, anyway.

Chuckling, Varric responded with a slow nod. “You’re not wrong. But my brother and I..” lowering his voice, he leaned in a little closer to Katiya with a glimmer in his eyes. “We’re planning an expedition. Practically guaranteed to make us rich.”

That kind of promise definitely got Katiya intrigued. At least enough to keep listening for now. So it wasn’t her usual type of job, but if there really was that much money involved..

“So you don’t need me to kill someone?” She asked him in a low voice, clearly a little caught off guard. “You find out I’m an assassin an’ you give me a job that doesn’t involve killin’?” She was confused, clearly, but also didn’t seem to be rejecting the offer right away. Maker knew what she could do with all that potential money.

Varric paused the conversation as the bartender wandered over to set thier drinks down on the table. With a thank you, Varric paid and they were once again left alone. “It’s the Deep Roads. There will be plenty to kill I’m sure.”

Katiya took a moment to just look at Varric, study the way he talked and explained this job offer. She felt like there was more to it, more to why he wanted to hire an assassin for what seemed like just a little spelunking. He wasn’t really using her skills to their best potential and she felt like he knew that.

But she didn’t ask any questions about it. If there was more to it, she probably didn’t really need to know. And for the kind of money he was promising, she was okay with a little secrecy. Well..as long as it didn’t mean her getting screwed over in the end. She’d just have to keep her guard up is all.

“You do know me takin’ on work behind my clan’s back is a risky move, right?” She asked him, still not flat out saying no just yet. It wasn’t just the money, either. The idea of some excitement and adventure in her life that didn’t involve her boyfriend or the Crimson Hand…she really just wanted to weigh out her options. “They’d really hate me for sneakin’ around like that.”

“You wouldn’t come all the way to Kirkwall just to take out one target would you?” Varric responded coyly. “All you have to do is explain you took up extra contacts for a bigger score when you got home.”

Well damn, Katiya had to admit that was a good idea. Normally contracts were given to individuals from the elders, but if she could convince them she took up, and succeeded at, several more jobs it would absolutely put her in better standing with the clan as a whole. Besides, Varric was right. It was a long way to travel just for one target. She’d want to make the most of her time here.

Just maybe, she could drop the whole damn Bumblefuck nickname too.

“All right, Varric.” Katiya began after a healthy swig of her drink. It was better than she’d expected out of a place like this. She could get used to it here for a while. “If you honestly think you’d need someone like me on your little excursion, then I’m in.”

Varric responded with a wide grin, finishing his drink before getting back to his feet. “Good. We’ll need all the help we can get.”

Katiya sat still for a few more moments, wondering if this was really such a good idea. She was really in for it if this fell apart. “We?”

“What, you didn’t think I was doing this whole thing alone, are you? Come with me, I have someone I need to introduce you to.”


	3. Chapter 3

Well.

Whatever Katiya had been expecting when Varric brought her to his home, whatever run down shack she’d envisioned…this manor was really the last thing that would have crossed her mind. Sure she already had a predesposed distaste for Kirkwall, but the fact that homes this well maintained existed almost baffled her.

“So. I’m here to meet…”

“My brother.” Varric finished for her, leading her inside. “Bartrand. The two of us have been planning this little trip to the Deep Roads for a while now.” 

There was a moment where Katiya had to seriously reevaluate what she was doing right now. Why did she let this dwarf talk her into going through with this? She briefly wondered if this brother was in any way as charming as Varric was.

Maker, she shouldn’t even be here right now. By now she should already be on her way back to the Hand to report in on her contract’s completion. And yet here she was. Letting this silver tongued son of a bitch talk her into a job behind everyone’s back.

..the funny thing is, she actually kind of wanted to be here. It was a breath of fresh air. As worried as she was, she didn’t actually mind it. In fact, she was finding herself excited.

“Bartrand. Right. Can’t wait to meet him.” She responded flatly, eyes wandering to take in the sights of Varric’s home. It really was impressive. The two brothers must be pretty well off at the very least. “So are you both my employer then? Am I expected to report to the both of you?”

“You’ll be on my payroll if that answers anything.” Judging by the look on the assassin’s face, there needed more clarity. “Bartrand will be calling some of the shots. But for the most part you’d be following my lead. Just in case something happens.”

Did Varric expect something to happen? That wasn’t just something you said unless you had some sort of expectation of something going wrong. Maybe it was just because they were going to the Deep Roads of all places. But she felt like there was more to it than that…

And that thought made her tense up ever so slightly when another dwarf entered the room.

“Bartrand.” Varric greeted warmly. “I’d like you to meet someone.”

Katiya was fully aware of how awkwardly she was standing, but she really couldn’t help herself when Varric’s brother looked over. She didn’t smile, she felt far too uncomfortable now to even manage, but she did offer a small wave as a greeting.

“And who the sodding hell is this?” 

Charming. Just charming.

“This is Katiya. Murdock’s replacement.” Varric explained, gesturing to the woman slightly. “We did talk about it.”

Bartrand let out a low, irritated grunt. “We said we’d consider it together. We never said you could go recruiting behind my back.” But instead of starting an argument, he just nodded his head. “But fine. If you think she’s capable then she’s in. She’d better be able to pull her own damn weight.”

“Trust me, Bartrand. This woman is more than capable of handling the Deep Roads.” Varric assured his brother with a coy smile. “I’ve seen her talents first hand. She’s exactly what we need.”

For as hard as she tried to remain stoic, something within Katiya actually started to falter a little bit. Shit. Even the Hand never spoke of her with such confidence. They just handed her contracts, it was never anything as glamorous as ‘she’s exactly what we need for this job’. Did Varric really feel that way? Or was he just saying that as a reassurance to his brother?

Fuck it, either way it was the first time she’d been given any kind of compliment regarding her skills. However Varric meant it, she’ll gladly take it.

Bartrand just let out a low grunt and continued on to…whatever kind of business he’d been doing before the two arrived. Katiya didn’t know, and she didn’t really want to bother asking. She could only assume he had his own part of the expedition he was in charge of. So she was fine for leaving him to it.

“Well. That went well.” Varric mused before turning back to Katiya. “Now let me show you to your room.”

“My…room?”

“I’m guessing you don’t actually have a place to stay. You finish your contract and go home right?”

Well…he wasn’t wrong. But damn it, Katiya hadn’t actually thought about that before now. “So you’re lettin’ me stay here?”

“Why not? We have plenty of space.”

Either by some miracle, Katiya had found one of the kindest men in Thedas, or she was going to get murdered in her sleep. Well, she’d gone this far why not see what happened? Not like she couldn’t take care of herself if this was some elaborate trap. 

Really, what did she have to lose now?

“Fine. But you’d better have some good alcohol.” The truth was, she was more than a little grateful that she was going to have a place to stay. It was a chance to get away from everything, try new kinds of jobs, and work for herself for once. But she just had this desire she couldn’t explain to come off as aloof. Too much excitement was…a flaw right? “I focus better with a drink or two in me.”

“I tell you what.” Varric started while leading her through his home, guiding her to her new room. “Any time something comes up we can go to the Hanged Man to discuss work.”

Katiya liked the sound of that.


	4. Chapter 4

The time spent in the Tethras home was…well it was mostly relaxing.

Katiya really couldn’t figure out if she liked Bartrand much. She could stand him for now, but there was just something about him that kept her from really liking him.

Varric, on the other hand, was showing the woman nothing but pleasant company and making her feel like she had an important place in their plans. And even she had to admit, the nickname he seemed so fond of giving her really resonated in her. Huntress. Made her feel like some kind of badass, really. 

But it almost made her uneasy with how charming he was. Like she was almost expecting to be stabbed in the back at any moment. Maybe it was just the way she’d been conditioned as an assassin. She had no real reason to feel threatened but for whatever reason she just couldn’t get completely comfortable.

Was it because she couldn’t trust Varric? Or because it all felt too good to be true?

Several times over the next few weeks she found herself wondering what it would be like if she never actually went back home. Just…decided to settle in Kirkwall and give up on the Hand. The place was really growing on her. Underneath all the grime it had a lot of charm.

But it was nothing more than wishful thinking. The Hand would never let her just up and quit, especially after finishing a contract and not delivering the news. They’d refuse to let one of their own go rogue before getting their payment.

Plus..she had a man to go home to. One that wouldn’t exactly be pleased to find she’d abandoned him.

“I really should write to him.” She thought out loud while sharing drinks with Varric one afternoon.

The Hanged Man had quickly become her favorite place. Not just because of the drinks being pretty damn good quality, but also the other patrons. There was so much life here, and when she payed close enough attention she could learn so much more about other people’s lives.

She liked knowing as much as she could about the people around her.

For a moment Varric looked unsettled, but he finished the last sip of his drink before speaking up. “Not sure that’s such a good idea. You said you had to do this behind your clan’s back right? You write a letter and they find out your contract is complete. Then they come storming into Kirwkwall to drag you back.”

Fuck. He wasn’t wrong. And on top of that, innocent people could get hurt. Varric could get hurt.

“They can’t know what I’m doin’.”

The dwarf nodded solemnly, “Why don’t you tell me a little about this guy who’s waiting for you to come home.” Clearly, he was trying to give her something happier to think about, rather than let her linger on how much she missed someone she cared so much about.

It was kind of touching. “He…he doesn’t have a name.” She explained first, wringing her hands together. “Some of us were recruited very young, too young to remember what our names were. From what anyone knows he was born into the Hand.”

“So what do you call him?”

That was actually a harder question to answer than it should have been. “Well. Pet names, mostly. I don’t have anythin’ to call him so it’s really just terms of affection.”

“Doesn’t seem like good practice to me. Especially if there are a lot of members without names. How does everyone keep track of their contracts?”

Another good question. The Hand would have been well organized with Varric in the ranks, Katiya considered. They were good at what they did, but management sometimes left a lot to be desired. “It kind of works. Some members like the anonymity of not having a name. Some give themselves titles.”

“Where does he fall on that spectrum?”

“He gave himself a title.” She responded softly, staring at the bottom of her empty mug. Talking about home? It should have made her feel empty inside. But weirdly enough, she didn’t really miss it. It felt more like home now, living in Kirkwall having Varric as a friend. As much as she missed her love, she really wouldn’t have minded staying here. “First Blade. He’s one of the top ranking members of the Hand. So he felt he deserved it.”

The moment Katiya said his self proclaimed name, she could tell Varric was trying not to laugh at it. It would have really upset her if he hadn’t resisted the clear urge to make some kind of snide comment. “So what’s he like?” The dwarf asked, signaling to the bartender for another round of drink.

Okay. Good. He was respectful. She’d hate to start a fight in the middle of the bar with her new friend. “He’s ruthless.” She started, “I don’t think I know anyone else who can take on contracts as quickly or efficiently as him. It’s impressive.” 

“Are you scared of him?”

The question seemed to have come completely out of nowhere. So much for respect. “Excuse me? No.”

“I don’t know many people who would start to refer to someone they love as ‘ruthless’ is all.”

“No he’s..he’s a good man.” Her voice faltered a little. She knew it and she knew Varric had caught on to it as well. “Look he treats me well. Even when I mess up a contract.”

Varric raised an eyebrow. “Does that happen often?”

Where the hell did this conversation go. How did she get to this point. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair, clearly irritated. “More often than you’d think. I’m not exactly the best the Hand has to offer. I’m kind of a burden, and it puts a lot of strain on Blade’s rep.”

There was tension building at the table. They both could feel it. Katiya started to brace herself for more questions, waiting for Varric to pry into her life even more. It made her very uncomfortable with how long the silence lasted before he spoke again.

“Bartrand’s going to be out late tonight.” Okay, good. They were moving on to a new topic.

Katiya just shrugged in response, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease a little bit. ”I like workin’ when he’s not around any way. I don’t like feelin’ like he’s lookin’ over my shoulder.” She knew Varric probably had already picked up on it, but she’d never say out loud how much she disliked his brother’s company. Bratrand just made her feel…uneasy. Probably because she had been shoved into this plan without his consent.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he was out so often lately because she was staying with them. Not that she cared either way. He didn’t like her, and she didn’t like him. It was mutual distaste.


End file.
